House Republicans Propose Delays and Blocks on Public Health Protections for All Americans

112th Congress begins, so begin attempts to legislate delays on clean air protections from harmful pollution

January 6, 2011

Washington, D.C. —

Almost immediately after the 112th Congress took their seats, House Republicans moved to block public health controls on pollution. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) has introduced legislation today to delay global warming pollution protections for another two years, and Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced legislation to block EPA action on climate change pollution, which was mandated by the Supreme Court in 2007. Yesterday, Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Joe Barton (R-TX), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), and Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) sponsored a bill to block EPA action on climate change pollution.

The following is a statement from Earthjustice legislative representative Stephanie Maddin:

"We are disappointed to see legislation that would delay or block pollution controls and stand squarely in the way of clean air protections for all Americans.

“These pieces of legislation are bad for the health of the American people, bad for American competitiveness in the global economy, bad for our national security, and bad for air quality across America.

“It’s disappointing to see elected leaders in Congress getting in the way of public health protections by proposing bills not in the public interest, but rather in the interest of the biggest polluters in the nation and their deep-pocketed lobbying operations. The American people don’t need delays and obstruction. They need leadership.

"We need national leaders who are committed to the health of the public and economic innovation, and who are spending their time proposing legislation that actually does something about those things. What we don’t need is elected representatives who spend their time blocking progress or delaying it.

“We have delayed this transition for far too long for all the wrong reasons. It is time for our leaders to stop the obstruction and commit themselves to the future America deserves: A transition from the dirty, dying, and limited energy sources of the past toward the clean, promising, and abundant energy sources of the future.”

About Earthjustice

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.